Forest Fires in Sumatra

A charred tree stump sits against the smouldering background in an area of recently deforested peatland near Tanjung Baru village,Riau province The village lies beside PT. Pusaka Megah Bumi Nusantara (PMBN) – a palm oil company belonging to the Asian Agri group, a member of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palmoil (RSPO). This area, according to the most recent official charts, is covered by the Indonesia government’s moratorium on the issuance of new permits in primary forests and peatlands.